A country set free to run: British charity clears Mozambique of land mines

Mozambique was declared free of land mines on Thursday ending two decades of work by a British charity to rid one of the world’s poorest countries of the brutal legacy of war. The last known mine was blown up near the base of a railway bridge in the centre of the country, the HALO Trust announced. “Now I’m jobless,” joked Albert Augusto, director of Mozambique’s National Demining Institute, as he helped destroy the final mine. More than 171,000 land mines have been cleared from the southern African country since 1993, said the charity, which has cleared four-fifths of all those which have been removed.

I was afraid because I had kids. I had to be strict with them and was always telling them, ‘Don’t go too close’. But now we can run wherever we want

Joakin Sata, who lives near the last minefield to be cleared

A former Portuguese colony on the Indian Ocean, Mozambique was torn apart by civil war and tens of thousands of mines were left behind. Many were planted close to vital structures, such as dams, bridges and electricity pylons. In all, 17 million sq metres of land have been cleared, areas that authorities now hope can be put to agricultural use. On Thursday, HALO Trust, which won the support of Princess Diana and Prince Harry, said on its website: “The government of Mozambique will officially declare the country free of landmines today.” Mozambique is still one of the world’s least-developed nations but it is starting to tap huge coal and natural gas deposits with foreign investors.

Many people thought Mozambique would take a hundred years to demine the whole country. We ended up demining in less than 30.

Albert Augusto, director of Mozambique’s National Demining Institute